Stereoscopic camera



Feb. 13, 1951 M. SORKIN 2,541,555

STEREOSCOPIC CAMERA Filed July 30, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l FIG.|.

Feb. 13, 1951 M. soRKlN sTEREosCoPIc CAMERA 2 Sheetsheet 2 Filed July30, 1947 INVENTOR MORRIS soRKm,

MIZI'ORNEY Patented Feb. 13, I1951 UNITED STATES, PATENT ofi-riceSTEREOSCOPIC CAMERA Morris Sorkin, New York, N. Y.

Application July 30, 1947, Serial No. 764,625.1

1 Claim.

This invention relates `to improvements .in cameras and has particularreference to the type of cameras used for simultaneously makingtwo.exposures to produce a stereoscopic picture.

One object of this invention is the provision in .a camera of the type`set forth, of a shutter mechanism adapted to make a single or dualsnap-shot or time exposure.

Another object of this invention is the inclusion therein of a means forautomatically marking the left and right film and print in .astereoscopic exposure.

Another object of this Vinvention is the .provision therein of a dampingmeans to .absorb the'force of the impact of the shutter when it issnapped from closed through open position and vice versa so as to avoidviolent rebound which would cause repeated exposure of the nlm.

A; further object loi this invention is the inclusion therein of a meansfor indicating the level position, or horizontal alinement, of thecamera when taking a picture with same.

- A still further object Vof rthis invention is the provision of adevice in which the constituent elements are so arranged structurally4and functionally as to assure improved results with materials andmembers which may be manufactured at reasonable cost, may be easilyassembled and which will be vefficient in operation with minimum wear tothe parts. vThe invention possesses other objects and features ofadvantage, some of which, with the foregoing will be rset forth in thefollowing de* scription and in the claims wherein parts will beidentified by specific names for convenience, but they are intended toybe as generic in their application to similar parts as the art willpermit. In the accompanying drawings, there has been illustrated the-best embodiment of the invention known to me, but such embodiment isto' be regarded as typical only Aof many possible embodiments, and theinvention is not to be limited thereto.

The novel features considered characteristic of my invention are setforth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself,however,V both as to its organization and its method of operation,together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best beunderstood from the following description of a specific embodiment whenread in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational View of the camera.

, Figure 2 is a top view of same with part of the upper casing brokenaway.

Figure 3 is a sectional elevational view taken along lines 3 3 ofFigures 1 and 2.

' Figure 4 is a detail view of a part of same and is shown in reducedsize.

' Figures 5, 6 and 1 are elevational views of the the said removableframe.

shutter carrying plate and shows various shutter positions rwhich willbe hereinafter described. ,r

Referring in detail to the `par-ts, II designates the removable frontcap or closure mem-ber of `Aa :housing having a bottom I2, top 13, rearwall .is and 'sidewalls I5 land i5. f

Removably housed Within the casing isa frame having top and bottommembers I1 vand I8 respectively and a front wall member I9 which isfaced Vwith a metallic plate 20 in turn secured to the said front wallmember I9. Funnel shape-d Aor tapered projection boxes 21 and .22 are secured between the said top member vI1 and bot-.- tom rmember I8 and areadapted to project light rays from the lenses .25 and 2B respectivelythrough apertures 21 and 2B in'the rear wall '29 of Rods 29 upon eachside of the said removable frame extend between the top and bottommembers I1 and I8 to securely hold the parts together. Apertures 33andjSlI are formed in said front wall I9 and plate 10 and are alinedwith the said lenses 25 and 126.

A regulation sighting means is provided which vconsists of a box 32comprising a lens 33 in 'the said removable front II, a Vmirroredreflecting surface upon the said removable frame and an observation lens35 mounted in the top I3 of the said housing. The mirrored surface 31S.bei ing arranged at an angle of 45 degrees to reflect the raysprojected throughthe lens 33 upwardly through the lens 35.

To the front plate 2li there is pivotally attached at 36, a shutterelement `31 having aperitures 38 and 39 and is adapted to rotarymovement about its pivotal connection ywith 'the plate 2D. (See Figures5, 6 and `'7.) During its rotary movement, the apertures 38 and 39 inthe said shutter 31, will pass and coincide with the aper: tures 30 and3l respectively, in the said front wall I9 and plate 20. Movement isgiven to the said shutter by means of a lever 40 which is piv otallyattached to the plate 25 as at 4I and has formed upon it a short arm 42which engages through a slot 43 in the side wall I5 (Figure 3l.

The said shutter 31 and lever 4I) are connected by means of a V-shapedspring 40', one arm of which is pivotally attached to the lever 4E) at Mand its other arm is attached to the shutter 31 at 45. The said Vshapedspring has a 'spiral or loop formation as at 46. Normally the shutter 31and its connected lever 40 maintain the poisition shown in Figure 5. Inthis position the ears 84 and 85 of the lever 4D cover the apertures 30and 3l in the front wall I9 and plate 2U. A spring 41, secured to arm 42and plate 20 acts to keep the shutter in its normal or inoperative po'-sition. The pressure exerted between the arms of the said V spring 40',when the shutter is in its normally closed position is outwardrelatively with its connection to the lever 40. However, when the arm 42is depressed, the lever 4B moves upwardly and assumes the position shownin Figure 6 and during this upward movement of the lever 40, the ears 84and 85 expose the positions of the apertures 30, 3|, the ends 44 and 45of the V-shaped spring 40 are brought together thereby increasing theoutward pressure of the spring arms until the pressure exerted by thearms of the V spring are outward and downward relatively with its leverconnection, whereupon the shutter will snap from the position shown inFigure 5 to the position shown in Figure 6. As the shutter snaps fromthe first mentioned to the second mentioned position, the apertures 38and 39 will flash by the coinciding 'apertures of the lens 25 and 26 andapertures 30 and 3| respectively in the plate 20 and wall I9 `to permitthe light rays passing through the lens openings to reach a sensitizedphotographic film 48'. When the arm 42 is released the lever 40 returnsto the position shown in Figure 5 and during this downward movement theears 84, 85 cover the apertures 3|), 3| before the shutter 31 snaps backto the normal inoperative position shown in Figure 5. Therefore duringthe return :movement of the shutter 31 the apertures 30, 3| are notuncovered and the film is not exposed to light. The said film is fedfrom a spool 49 mounted in any suitable spring clip 50 and wound in theconventional manner upon a second .spool 5I which is held in a springclip 52. A handle or knob 53 of the conventional type engages the saidspool 5| to move the lm along after each exposure. A peep hole 4 also ofconventional type, is provided in the rear wall I4 of the housing topermit proper placement of the lm. Rollers 55 are provided around whichthe film is guided. The apertured rear wall 29 is formed with stenciledletters 56 and 51 which read right-fleft with the letters arranged inreverse order. When the film in the camera is exposed the letters willbe impressed upon the iilm which when developed and printed will read in:correct letter arrangement to indicate the left Vand right handpictures when viewed in a conventional stereoscopic viewer.

A leveling unit 58 is mounted upon the top of the housing and provides ameans to enable the user to hold the camera in perfect horizontal andv-vertical alinement so as to maintain horizontal -l and verticalpresentation of the three dimenjsional picture seen by the viewer of thepair of pictures.

Referring again to Figures 5, 6 and 7, there is shown a means forsetting the camera for time exposures. A flat bar 59 having an outer endpiece 60 and an inner turned up lug 6| is adapted to slide behind theplate 20 and when pulled out to the position shown in Figure '7, the lug6I engaging through a slot 62, will act as a stop to limit the movementof the shutter 31 (Figure 7) The front wall I9 and its adjacent plate2|] are cut away as at 63 to allow clearance around the lsighting unit32. The shutter 31 is also out away as at 64 to clear the said sightingunit and a notch 65, having a shoulder 66 on one side of the cut outsection 66, engages the lug 6| upon the bar 59 when same is drawn out asindicated in Figure 7. When the bar 61 is in the position shown inFigure 6 the camera is set to simultaneously expose two pictures, or astereoscopic pair, but when the bar 61 is pulled out as shown in Figure'1, the aperture 3D is covered so that .only one picture is exposed.When the bar 59 is pulled out as shown in Figure 7, and the shutter 31and lever 40 are in the position shown in Figure 5, the camera is setfor a time exposure.

A second fiat bar 61 having a finger pull 68 upon its outer endslideably engages in a, groove 69 upon the wall |9 and is formed with anaperture 10 which is normally alined with the aperture 30 in the saidfront wall I9 and plate 20 but closes the aperture 30 when the said baris pulled out as indicated in Figure 7. A turned up end 1| engaging inslot 12 acts as a stop means to limit the outward movement of the bar61.

By depressing the arm 42, the shutter 31 is snapped from its closedposition shown in Figure 5 to the position shownin Figure 7 therebypermitting a single exposure through the lens 26 and said alinedapertures 39 and 3|. A time exposure through both lenses 25 and 26 andalined apertures may be accomplished by resetting the bar 61 to bringthe aperture 10 into alinement with the shutter orifice 38.

Stop elements 13 and 14 having resilient plastic pads 15 and 16-respectively are provided upon the plate 29 and are adapted to absorbthe striking force of the shutter when same snaps into its closed oropen position and so avoid rebound. An aperture changing bar 11, havinglarge apertures 82, 83 and small apertures 18 and 19 is adapted to bepulled out to bring thesaid small apertures 18 and 19 in line with theapertures 30, 38 and 3|, 39 to admit light through the said lens 25 and26 when required for correct exposure of the lm. l

Stop means and 8| are provided upon the plate 26 and afford a meanstolimit the movement oi the arm 42 and lever 40.

I claim:

A stereoscopic camera comprising an outer casing, a detachable iront capmember having lenses mounted in apertures thereon, a removable housingwithin the casing, a front wall in said housing having apertures alinedwith said lens apertures in said detachable front member, taperedprojection boxes within the said housing and extending from the saidfront wail to the opposite open end of said housing, a film roll mountedin said housing and moving over open ends of said tapered projectionboxes, an oscillating shutter pivotally mounted upon said front wall andhaving apertures adapted to aline with said lens and lens apertures, amanually operated shutter lever pivoted to said front wall and formedwith masking ears which normally close the said apertures in said frontwall, a V-spring connecting the said shutter and shutter lever to givesnap action to said shutter, a spring connectingfthe said shutter leverto the said housing to hold the said shutter lever and shutter innormally aperture clos'- ing position, and an aperture closing barslidably mounted in said front wall of housing and adapted to close oneseriesv of apertures and permit taking single exposure pictures. y

' MORRIS soRKnv.

REFER'EIICESv CITEVD i;

The following references are of record the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 709,480 Goerz Sept. 23, 1902738,066 Reichenbach Sept. l, 1903 816,907 Garfield Apr. 3, 19061,364,462 Stout Jan. 4, 1921 1,855,269 Victor Apr. 26, 1932 2,286,810Ingels June 16,- 1942 2,328,677 Ringer Sept. 7, 1943 2,361,661 Sparlingg. Oct.- 31, 1 944

